Fourteenth Young Master was "dressed in a purple satin robe with large floral patterns embroidered on the chest and abdomen, fastened with a gold-buckled jade belt—a type of casual attire only officials of the third rank or higher were permitted to wear." Originally, "casual attire" referred to leisurewear, but during the Sui and Tang dynasties, both officials and the Emperor preferred wearing it for official duties (as court robes were too cumbersome and uncomfortable). Consequently, the court later standardized the colors and accessories of casual attire according to rank, effectively endorsing this practice. During the WuDe Era and early Zhenguan period, it was decreed that high-ranking nobles and officials of the third rank or above should wear robes made of "large-patterned silk and gauze, in purple, adorned with jade belts." For a visual reference, see the male anchor's attire in the promotional video Tang Dynasty News Broadcast from A Guide to Time-Traveling to the Tang Dynasty , as shown in Figure 1 in the author's Weibo notes for this chapter.
The robe in the photo above lacks large floral patterns, and the belt is a "gold-buckled waistband with hanging ornaments," which isn’t entirely accurate. The "gold-buckled jade belt" in official dress regulations should resemble the "jade-inlaid gold pearl-adorned waistband unearthed from the tomb of Dou Jiao of the Tang Dynasty," as shown in Figure 2 in the author's Weibo notes for this chapter.
The "firecrackers" in the bonfire: The familiar firecrackers we know today—paper tubes filled with gunpowder—didn’t appear until the Song Dynasty. Before that, people celebrated festivals by throwing bamboo into fires to listen to the cracking sounds of the hollow bamboo joints. So, please avoid descriptions like "a ground littered with red firecracker paper" in pre-Song Dynasty settings, okay? Promise me...
The bride’s wedding attire in the text is a "flowered hairpin and pheasant robe."
Old Book of Tang, Volume 23, Official Records II : The daughters of princes are granted the title of County Mistress, equivalent to the second rank.
Comprehensive Institutions, Rites 89: Wedding Ceremony : For officials below the royal family, women’s attire corresponds to their husbands’ rank, wearing flowered hairpins and pheasant robes. First-rank officials: nine floral clusters (on the headdress) and nine rows of pheasant patterns (on the robe). Second-rank: eight clusters and eight rows. Third-rank: seven clusters and seven rows. Fourth-rank: six clusters and six rows. Fifth-rank: five clusters and five rows. Sixth-rank and below: large-sleeved robes with floral hairpins. Commoners: floral hairpins with connected skirts.
Li Yiniang herself held a noble title (higher than her husband’s), so she wore a second-rank wedding attire with "eight floral clusters and eight pheasant rows"—a style belonging to the "pheasant robe series," the highest-ranking ceremonial dress for noblewomen in medieval times.
Currently, only images of the Song Dynasty Empress’s pheasant robe are available (see Figure 3 in the author's Weibo notes for this chapter), along with recently reconstructed ceremonial headdress photos of Empress Xiao of the Sui Dynasty (see Figure 4 in the author's Weibo notes). The attire and headdresses of other noblewomen were of lower specifications, mainly featuring fewer decorative patterns, but the general style was similar.
#####This book’s notes include numerous historical artifact images. As the publishing platform does not support image uploads, please visit the author’s Weibo to view them. Search for the Weibo ID "Tang Dynasty Time-Travel Guide Forest Deer" on Sina Weibo. Discussions are welcome.
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